Delighted hurdles star Anthony Borsumato was today elevated to the highest level of athletics with the news: "You're world class now."

The Middlesbrough athlete produced the best performance of his career in running under 49 seconds in the 400 metres hurdles at the AAAs championships in Birmingham yesterday.

Anthony hacked three tenths of a second off his PB by taking second place with his new best of 48.90 behind Britain's top notcher Chris Rawlinson, who raced home in 48.68.

The performance was enough to put Anthony into sixth place in the all-time British list.

It also ensured that Borsumato will accompany Rawlinson to the European Championships in Munich next month.

And it sets him up nicely to make a major challenge in the Commonwealth Games at the end of this month.

BBC commentator Stuary Storey said: "Borsumato has emerged in this race as a true world class athlete by running under 49 seconds."

Rawlinson, whose time was just 0.1sec outside the championship record set by Ed Moses in 1979, said: "I had to pull it out in the last 100m. I had to work, there is no doubt about that - work like a dog.

"Boz pushed me all the way. He has forced himself on to the world stage."

He added: "What an event. It stands us in good stead for the Championships. The 400m hurdles has always been the poor relation of the 400m flat but now we are definitely the rich relation.

Borsumato said: "I had a lot less pressure than Chris but I was delighted to finally run under 49 seconds.

"I said that I hoped to do it in the Commonwealth Games, but to do it beforehand is even better.

"I knew if I went off hard I could give myself some chance against Chris.

"I was still close to him with 100 metres to go. I have never been that close to him up the home straight but I found out how strong he is. I could hear the others behind me, but they never came past."